1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tablet supply apparatus having a function of filling tablets into a container such as a bag, a bin or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
There has been hitherto known a tablet supply apparatus in that a plurality of tablet cases accommodated according to category (kind) are provided, predetermined kinds of tablets are taken out from tablet cases on the basis of input prescription data into a hopper, the collected tablets are filled from the hopper into a container such as a bag, a bin or the like and a container in which desired kinds of tablets are filled is automatically prepared. As one of the above type tablet supply apparatuses has been proposed a tablet supply apparatus having a tablet feeder for adding the tablet supply apparatus with a tablet which has not yet been set in any table case when it is required to fill a container with the tablet concerned (for example, see JP-A-2004-203433). According to these tablet supply apparatuses, tablets can be automatically continuously filled in several tens containers. Furthermore, when tablets are added to the tablet supply apparatus through the tablet feeder, an operator draws out the tablet feeder from the main body of the tablet feeder and then to the front side of the main body of the tablet supply apparatus, the tablets to be added are put into a predetermined plate of the tablet feeder, and the tablet feeder is accommodated into the tablet supply apparatus again, whereby new tablets are added.
When many tablets are continuously filled in containers by using the tablet supply apparatus described above, it takes a long time to fill the tablets in some cases, and thus it has been required to shorten the filling time of tablets. Furthermore, it is necessary to drawn out the tablet feeder to the front side of the main body when tablets are put into the tablet feeder. Therefore, when a tablet supply apparatus is installed, it is required to prepare for an installation place in which a location space for the tablet feeder drawn out to the front side of the tablet supply apparatus is surely ensured on the assumption that the tablet feed is drawn out to the front side of the tablet supply apparatus, and thus it has been difficult to install a tablet supply apparatus.